The present invention relates to pulmonary assistance apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to a pulmonary cleansing system for countering the effects of unhealthful environmental conditions on the human pulmonary system and for relieving symptoms caused by chronic or transitory pulmonary conditions. Still more particularly, the invention relates to a potentially life-saving lung purging system for smokers which removes residual smoke from the lungs following inhalation and before such smoke has an opportunity to cause irreversible lung damage.
According to the Surgeon General, tobacco smoking is the chief avoidable cause of death in our society and the most important health issue of our time. It is estimated that at least 350,000 American deaths per year are attributable to smoking. This is more than the number of all other drug and alcohol abuse deaths combined, more than all automobile fatalities per year, more than the number of recorded deaths caused by AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), and more than all American military fatalities in World War I, World War II, and Vietnam put together. Secondary smoke inhaled by nonsmokers may be no less a health hazard. According to estimates, at least 100,000 people die every year due to the effects caused by secondary smoke inhalation.
There are an estimated 300 million cigarette smokers worldwide. Among this population, factors such as rate of consumption, brand preference, potency, etc., tend to vary by age, gender, culture and the like. Notwithstanding such differences, the smoking process itself and the resultant physiological effects, are fairly uniform throughout all smoker groups. In order to experience the full pleasures of smoking, cigarette smokers usually "inhale" tobacco smoke deep into the lungs. There, the smoke circulates and contacts the lung surfaces where nicotine and other constituents are absorbed into the bloodstream. Nonabsorbed materials such as tar tend to remain on and coat the lung tissue.
Due to limited available lung surface area, not all of the smoke-borne particulates ingested during a single cigarette inhale are immediately deposited on the lungs. If the lungs are forcefully evacuated following inhale, smoke will be visibly exhaled. In the case of most smokers, however, the force of an exhale almost never matches the depth of the inhale. As a result, a residuum of smoke drawn deep into the lungs during inhale tends to remain in the lungs even after subsequent exhale. This smoke may survive in the lungs despite many subsequent exhales. Indeed, upon the completion of smoking a cigarette, nonexhaled residual cigarette smoke can remain suspended in the lungs for approximately thirty minutes to one hour after inhalation, depending on such factors as lung capacity and respiratory rate during smoking. In the case of heavy smokers, this means that the smokers' lungs may never be cleared of smoke except during sleep. It is this residual smoke, and the particulates in the smoke, that slowly settles in the lungs and causes significant pulmonary damage.
The detrimental effects caused by the presence of residual contaminant-laden air in the lungs are not limited to persons exposed to primary and secondary smoke alone. In an increasing number of urban areas, the atmospheric environment in which the bulk of daily activity occurs is literally choked with a multitude of harmful contaminants. Substantial quantities of pollutants are emitted on a daily basis from automobiles, industrial and other sources. Such compounds include ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and lead, to name but a few.
In some areas, significant outdoor activity may actually be dangerous, and children, older individuals and persons with chronic pulmonary conditions may be advised to remain indoors. The long-term health effects of such environmental conditions have not been completely determined. However, the results of initial studies suggest at least a pronounced decrease in lung capacity among persons exposed to polluted air for long periods. It is also believed that air pollution may be a contributing cause of such health problems as emphysema, lung cancer, pulmonary dysfunction, chronic bronchitis, asthma and cardiovascular disease. Air pollution can also destroy the cilia (minute hairlike parts of cells) that line air passages of the body. The cilia trap germs and other particles before they have a chance to enter the lungs. If the cilia are damaged, these particles can build up in the lungs and increase vulnerability to disease. Individuals having preexisting respiratory ailments are generally most at risk.
An average adult individual takes approximately fifteen breaths per minute while at rest. At this rate, over a 24-hour period, the individual takes approximately 21,600 breaths. With each breath, millions of contaminant particles are ingested into the lungs. Those that are not expelled during subsequent exhale may ultimately be deposited on the lung tissue. The degree to which exhaling activity expels contaminants is a function of contaminant settling rate and the force of the exhale.
Each contaminant particulate has its own particular settling rate which is a function of its molecular mass. Lighter particles tend to remain airborne for longer periods and are more apt to be exhaled before settling. Heavier particles may settle very quickly on the lungs. As in the case of smokers, if contaminants are inhaled deeply into the lungs, the force of a subsequent exhale may not be sufficient to completely expel the contaminants. This results in a longer residency time and increases the number of contaminant particles likely to settle on the lungs. Because exhaling activity may never fully evacuate contaminants in the lungs, breathing pollutant-laden air for even relatively short periods can enable at least some contaminants to settle on the lung tissue. In areas having significant air pollution levels, the build-up of contaminants on lung tissue may be substantial. Short of periodically purging the lungs, for example, by intense exercise or consciously contracting the diaphragm, practical solutions to the problem of residual contaminant removal have not been forthcoming. Accordingly, an evident need exists for a system for safely and effectively treating the human respiratory system following ingestion of harmful pollutants such as smoke and other contaminants. Such apparatus should preferably remove contaminants ingested deep in the lungs that would not be otherwise removed by subsequent normal exhale, and which could therefore permanently settle on lung tissue and cause irreversible damage. Preferably, such apparatus would also include an ability to free recently deposited contaminants from the lung surfaces. In addition, such apparatus should be portable, compact, and self-operable. It is believed that further advantage could be derived by providing a lung ventilation capability to provide relief from lung swelling and congestion caused by ingestion of bacteria and viruses. In addition, many individuals could benefit from an apparatus to introduce medicament, such as asthma relief formulations, deep into the lungs.